Social strain theory

Examples of Social strain theory in the following topics:

• Strain Theory: How Social Values Produce Deviance

  • Strain theory states that social structures within society may pressure citizens to commit crimes.
  • Social strain theory was developed by famed American sociologist Robert K.
  • The theory states that social structures may pressure citizens to commit crimes .
  • These types of strain can insinuate social structures within society that then pressure citizens to become criminals.
  • In this sense, according social strain theory, social values actually produce deviance in two ways.

• Deviance

  • Karen Halnon of Pennsylvania State University studies informal deviance and focuses on what she calls "deviance vacations," whereby people of a certain socioeconomic status voluntarily enter another, usually lower, social strata.
  • Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate informal social norms or formally-enacted rules.
  • Among those who study social norms and their relation to deviance are sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminologists, all of whom investigate how norms change and are enforced over time.
  • The second type of deviant behavior involves violations of informal social norms (norms that have not been codified into law) and is referred to as informal deviance.
  • Karen Halnon of Pennsylvania State University studies informal deviance and focuses on what she calls "deviance vacations," whereby people of a given socioeconomic status voluntarily enter a different, often lower, social strata.

• Illegitimate Opportunity Structures: Social Class and Crime

  • Merton's social strain theory to directly address juvenile delinquency and social class.
  • If you recall, social strain theory develops a typology of deviance in which an individual can deviate on two planes.
  • In 1960, Cowan and Ohlin published Delinquency and Opportunity: A Theory of Delinquent Gangs.
  • A key to understanding Cowan and Ohlin's theory is the notion of subculture.
  • Cowan and Ohlin used juvenile delinquency as a case study to explore this theory of illegitimate opportunity structures.

• Sources of Social Change

  • Social movement theories seek to explain how social movements form and develop.
  • Some of the better-known approaches include deprivation theory, mass-society theory, structural-strain theory, resource-mobilization theory, political process theory and culture theory.
  • This particular section will thus pay attention to structural-strain theory and culture theory, while mass-society theory and political process theory will be discussed in greater detail later in "International Sources of Social Change" and "External Sources of Social Change," respectively.
  • Here is a case in point to illustrate the example of structural-strain theory.
  • This theory is subject to circular reasoning since it claims that social/structural strain is the underlying motivation of social movement activism, even though social movement activism is often the only indication that there was strain or deprivation.

• Sociological Theories of Deviance

  • Sociological theories of deviance are those that use social context and social pressures to explain deviance.
  • Sociological theories of deviance are those that use social context and social pressures to explain deviance .
  • The first is the social strain typology developed by American sociologist Robert K.
  • Conflict theory suggests that deviant behaviors result from social, political, or material inequalities of a social group.
  • Their actions and perspectives demonstrate the use of conflict theory to explain social deviance.

• Social Movement Theories

  • A variety of theories have attempted to explain how social movements develop.
  • Mass-Society Theory argues that social movements are made up of individuals in large societies who feel insignificant or socially detached.
  • This theory is also subject to circular reasoning as it incorporates, at least in part, deprivation theory and relies upon it, and social/structural strain for the underlying motivation of social movement activism.
  • However, social movement activism is, like in the case of deprivation theory, often the only indication that there was strain or deprivation.
  • Resource-Mobilization Theory emphasizes the importance of resources in social movement development and success.

• New Social Movement theories

• Criticisms of the Social-Cognitive Pespective on Personality

  • Critics of the social-cognitive theory of personality argue that it is not a unified theory and does not explain development over time.
  • The social-cognitive theory of personality emphasizes both learning and cognition as sources of individual differences in personality.
  • One of the main criticisms of the social-cognitive theory is that it is not a unified theory.
  • Another limitation is that not all social learning can be directly observed.
  • Critics of social-cognitive theory argue that the theory does not provide a full explanation of how social cognition, behavior, environment, and personality are related (known as "reciprocal determinism").

• Exchange

  • Social exchange theory applies this type of equation to social relationships.
  • Social exchange theory is a sociopsychological and sociological perspective that explains social change and stability as a process of negotiated exchanges between parties.
  • Social exchange theory is only comprehensible through the lens of rational choice theory.
  • Several assumptions undergird social exchange theory.
  • Explain how social exchange theory is based upon rational choice theory

• Political Opportunity Theory

  • Describe how and why political opportunities are important to social movements according to political opportunity theory.